Logical
by butterflie
Summary: What if the cycle had never been broken? Who would be the one to make the sacrifice? Spoilers.


Disclaimer: Square's.

Author's Notes: This is a one-shot. **There will be no next chapter.**

Logical  
by: butterflie

"...so it's over then. We've failed."

The group was silent for a moment, Tidus' words weighing heavy in the air. He could hardly believe it had come to this. After everything they'd been through, after all he'd tried, all the effort he'd made to break the cycle... It seemed some things weren't made to be broken after all.

He sighed in defeat, closing his eyes, as if by doing so he could will reality away.

"No," Yuna said then, and everyone looked at her. "We haven't completely failed." She paused, swallowing. "There's still the Final Aeon."

"What good will that do?" asked Tidus bitterly. "Sin will still be reborn and you will die."

"Yes," Yuna said softly. "But at least Spira will have its Calm. I am a Summoner. I knew what the consequences would be from the beginning. I knew how it would end." She looked around at each guardian briefly, eyes pleading, and then glanced towards the ruins of Zanarkand in front of them. "You understand, right? I would not ask this of you if there were any other way."

"It's okay, Yuna," Lulu told her gently after a moment. "We understand."

"But who's going to do it, ya?" Wakka murmured. "Who's going to be the Final Aeon?"

There was an uncomfortable silence for a bit as each of them tried to imagine sacrificing their life to become an Aeon and ultimately be reborn as Sin. What it must be like, to have a bond strong enough to turn into Final Aeon for the Summoner? And then turn into the very creature just killed, and spend the next several years wreaking havoc on Spira, killing hundreds of people... none of them wanted to become such a horror, but most of them accepted that there was no other choice. Yunalesca had said it was the way all the Summoners before had done it, and Tidus had even admitted that his old man was Sin. It made sense. It was just a hard decision.

"No! No way!" Tidus suddenly exploded, not wanting to think on it another moment. "This is bullshit! We'll find another way! I won't let you die, Yuna. I won't let _any_ of you die."

"Kimahri will do it."

Tidus turned towards the Ronso, glaring at him. "No you _won't_," he insisted stubbornly. "Rikku, come on, help me think here!"

"Tidus." Rikku seemed pained, and would not look at him, instead choosing to gaze out over the ruins of Zanarkand in the distance. "As much as I hate it, I think Yunie is right. There is no other way."

Tidus could only stare at her then, knowing that if _Rikku_ had given up, then all hope really must be lost. But still, he did not want to accept it. "What about you?" he asked, turning accusingly towards Auron.

Auron merely looked at him with an expressionless face, his eyes hidden behind his dark glasses as usual, and giving nothing away.

"Man, come _on_," Tidus nearly whined. "You brought me here! You knew more than you let on throughout this entire journey! Can't you help us just this once?" He asked the question as if Auron hadn't already been helping them on their journey.

"Like I have said: This is your story. You are the one in charge of it," Auron said solemnly.

"Auron!"

"You are wasting time, Tidus," Lulu said. "Either you accept it and fight with us, or you leave now with the knowledge that in the end, you did nothing."

Tidus flinched, and went quiet. _I don't want to accept it... I promised to save Yuna. I said I'd show her Zanarkand! ...I don't want to watch her die. Why is it that I have to end up so helpless? It isn't fair!_

"Tidus?"

_However, if I am being forced to accept it..._

"...alright," he said quietly. "Alright, I'll accept it."

"Good. Make Kimahri the Final Aeon."

"Thank you, Kimahri. This means a lo--"

"No!"

"What?" Rikku turned around a little nervously, looking from Tidus to Yuna to Kimahri. "But you just said--"

"I'll accept it," Tidus agreed, staring intently at Yuna. "But you're making _me_ the Final Aeon. I'm the least important person here, except maybe Auron, and since he's unsent..." he trailed off, realizing what he'd just said.

Wakka blinked. "Unsent?" They all looked at Auron, who stared back at them impassively.

"Eh," Tidus said sheepishly, scratching his head and shifting from one foot to the other. "I wasn't supposed to tell. Sorry."

"Okay, but... why make _you_ the Final Aeon?"

"It makes sense. Auron's unsent, and the rest of you have people waiting for you. I don't have anyone waiting for me... I'm not even from Spira." _And I don't want to live without Yuna, or watch any of you die._ "I won't accept it any other way. Please."

"...tomorrow, then," Yuna said with finality, and she seemed on the verge of tears, though he knew she wouldn't cry. She was stronger than that; there was no time for tears. "We'll rest tonight and prepare to battle Sin tomorrow."

Tidus nodded, suddenly feeling drained but oddly relieved. He shouldn't have. Nothing was working out the way it was supposed to. He wasn't getting to go back to his Zanarkand. It didn't even really exist. He was going to be made into an aeon, and then be reborn as Sin. He'd broken both of his promises to Yuna, and tomorrow she would die. He hadn't found a way to prevent it.

So. The choice he made couldn't really be called the best one. It had, however, been the logical choice. Maybe that was really all that mattered. And he still had some hours left. Maybe he could find a more logical solution at the last minute. A little optimism never hurt anyone.

_fini_

2005 butterflie December 26, 2005 Monday 3:00AM


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